Blast-furnace-charging apparatus.



N0. 327,15 'PATENTED JULY 31, 1906.

' w. KENNEDY. BLASIFUR-NAGE CHARGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.26, 1905.

S E s WITNES U INVENTOR iam's rrn STATES isnr r Prion.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented July 31, 1906. I

. Application filed October 26, 1905. Serial No. 284.444.

To all whom, it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER KENNEDY, a cltizen of the United States, residing at Bellevue, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered pertain new and useful Improvements in Blast-Furnace-Char ing Apparatus, of which lmprovements the Iollo'wing is a specificat1on.

In application Serial No. 268,558 and application Serial N 0." 231,131, filed July 6, 1905, and November 2, 1904, respectively, and Serial No. 284,443, filed October- 26, 1905, I have described and claimed certain improvements in mechanism for insuring the even distribution of the charge into the blastfurnace. p

The invention described herein relates to further and additional improvements for the same purpose.

The invention is hereinafter more fully de scribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is 'a view, partly in section and, partly in elevation, of the charging mechanism of a blast-furnace; and Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view on a plane indicated by the line II II, Fig. 1.

In' the practice of my invention the furnace 1, hell 2, main hopper 3, skip 4, and mechanism for raising and lowering the skip are constructed in the usual or any suitable manner. A receiving-hopper is arranged above the main hopper and has arran ed therein a plate adapted to direct materia to any desired side or portion of the receiving hopper. Provision is made for controlling the discharge of-material from the receivinghopper by a-rnovement of at least a portion thereof relative to the directing-plate.

In practice it is preferred to form the distributing-hopper 1n two sections, the upper portion being supported by posts or standards secured to the top of the main hopper. The lower portion or extension 6 of this distributing-hopper is made movable and referably projects when in closed osition own into .the main hopper. The ell 2 is connected to a rod 7, extending up through the distributing-hopper and connected to an operating-lever 8, although other means may be employed for raising and lowering this main bell. Around the rod 7 is arra'n ed a sleeve 9, provided at its upper end with a collar resting on a beam or other suitable support, thereby sustaining this sleeve in position. On the lower end of the sleeve is secured an inclined plate 11 arranged transversely across the distributing-hopper. It is preferred that this plate should extend from apoint Within the upper section of the distributing-hopper down to or slightly below the end of the movable section 6 when the latter is at its lower or closed position,

but suchrelativearrangement of the parts is not necessary. As shown, this plate is so inclined that material charged into the receiving-hopper from the ship will be collected at one side of the lower end of the distributing-hopper; but the point of collection may be changed or shifted around by shifting the inclined plate 11. The discharge of material from the distributing-hopperis permitted by raising the movable section 6, which will allow the material to slide off from the inclined plate out of the distributing-hopper onto the main bell. While any suitable means may be employed for raising and low ering the movable section 6, it is preferred to employ a lever 13 for that purpose, said lever being forked at one end, so as to be connected to opposite sides of the upper end of the movable section and havin site end connected to the piston 0% pressure cylinder 14. It is preferred that the plate 11 should be rotated around simultaneously with the movement of the section its oppothe fiuid- 6, although itmay be 0 erated at other times and independently o the m0vable'sec tion. A desirable construction for the simultaneous operation of the movable section 6 and the plate consists in connectin one end of a rope 15 to the piston of the cy 'nder 14,

passing said rope around a guide-pulley 16,,

a grooved wheel 17 loosely mountedon the sleeve 9, another guide-pulley 18, and con-v necting it at apoint near the charging-floor 5 to a counterweight. The groovedwheel 17 has a pawl-and-ratchet connection with the sleeve 9, so arranged that when the rope is shifted by the cylinder in raising the section 6 the wheel 17 will rotate, carryin the sleeve and with it the plate, but when t e lever 13 is shifted to lower the section 6 the rope will be pulled by the counterweight and the grooved wheel will rotate on the sleeve and the. inclined late will not be shifted. As stated in application Serial No. 284,443, the amount of rotation of the inclined plate may 'be regulated by placing a tappet 20 on the portion of the rope connected to thecylinder 14 and securing a stop 21 upon the distributing hopper. By this means the amount of movement of the rope, and. consequently of the inclined plate, by the counter- Weight can be regulated.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. A blast-furnace-charging apparatu having in combination a main hopper and bell, a receiving-hopper, a movable dlrectingplate extending across the receiving-hopper, and means movable independently of said plate for controlling the discharge of material from the receiving-hopper.

2. A blast-furnace:- charging apparatus having in combination a main hopper and bell, a receiving-hopper, a directing-plate extending across the receiving-hopper, means for shifting said plate, and means movable independently of said plate for controlling the discharge of material from the receivinghopper.

3. A blast-furnace-charging apparatus having in combination a main hopper and bell, a receivinghopper, a directing-plate arranged in the receivinghopper, means for shifting the directing-plate, and means for shifting a portion of the receivin -hopper adjacent to said plate to permit the ischarge of material from the receiving-hopper.

4. A blast-furnace-charging apparatus having in combination a main hopperand bell, a sectional receiving-hopper, a directing-plate arranged in the receiving-hopper, means for shifting said plate and means for shifting a section of the receivin -hopper to permit of the discharge of materia therefrom.

5. A blast-furnace-charging apparatus having in combination a mainhopper and bell, a receiving-hopper, a directinglate arranged in the receivin -hopper, an means for simultaneously shifting the plate and a portion of the receiving-hopper adjacent to the plate relative to the latter.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

' WALTER KENNEDY. Witnesses:'

CHARLES BARNETT. HERBERT BRADLEY. 

